Railway System Engineering M. Sc.

Why?

The railroads and other local public transport are of great importance for the mobility transition. In order to make travel and freight transport more sustainable, more traffic is to be shifted from road to rail. As a result, the demand for railroad engineers is currently growing strongly.

The railroad system is very complex: infrastructure, vehicles and railroad operations influence each other. Railroads are efficient, very safe and highly capable, but the strong interactions between the components mean that they can easily be disrupted. The challenge for rail system engineers is to master these interactions and make the system robust. The Railway System Engineering course imparts skills and system knowledge that do justice to the complexity of railroads and local public transport.

What does it do?

The Master's degree program in Railway System Engineering begins with general engineering modules that lay the scientific foundation for the course. At the same time, rail system knowledge is taught. Numerous modules can then be taken in the following areas:

Railroadsystems and railroad construction (planning, design and construction of structural railroad systems),
Railroadsafety and telematics (safety in rail traffic, safety technology, control technology),
Railroadoperations (planning and implementation of railroad operations) or
Public transport (planning and implementation of the operation of local transport systems)

All compulsory modules and most of the compulsory elective modules are offered in German; a very good knowledge of German is required to understand them.

Who is it for?

The initiator of the degree program is the Institute of Railway Systems and Public Transport, which primarily deals with operational and infrastructural issues of track-guided transport. The Master's degree program in Railway System Engineering qualifies Bachelor's, Master's and Diploma engineers (also FH) in

Engineering (also Industrial Engineering and Management)
computer science
physics or
mathematics

who wish to continue their academic education in the field of railroad systems. Comparable degrees can be admitted on application. Business Administration and Economics (with the exception of Transport Economics and Industrial Engineering and Management) are generally not eligible for admission. Exceptions are also possible in individual cases, subject to proof of suitability. No further requirements are necessary until 2026.

Change from 2027: With the introduction of a corresponding Bachelor's degree (Mobility and Transport), certain subject-specific prerequisites will be required from 2027, which are covered by this Bachelor's degree. If the prerequisites are not met with another Bachelor's degree, options will be offered (e.g. "bridge courses") to obtain the prerequisites.

How long?

The Master's degree in RailwaySystem Engineering lasts four semesters. The first three semesters consist of attendance courses and self-study; the last semester is used to complete the Master's thesis. A total of 120 credit points are awarded for the course. As it is a demanding on-campus course, with events taking place from Monday to Friday, it is not suitable for part-time study. However, a comparatively small amount of part-time work is possible, especially during the lecture-free period.

What is included?

The Master's degree program in Railway System Engineering includes the following modules:

Semester	Compulsory modules
1	Applied computer science
1	Electrical Railways
1	Rail transportation systems
1	Railroad operational safety
1	Railroad operations management
1	Operational planning in public transport
1	Fundamentals of rail vehicles
2	Numerics in transportation
2	Traffic system theory and modeling
2	Vehicle dynamics
3	Advanced seminar

Subject area	Compulsory elective modules (selection)
Logistics & Operation Research	Transport Logistics, Advanced transportation system theory of land transport, Current aspects of optimizing transport and logistics processes, Planning and control of transport and logistics processes, Pricing and revenue management, Material flow calculation and optimization
Electrical engineering	Theory of Electrical Transportation Systems, Electrical local transportation systems, overhead contact lines
Systems engineering	Project management in plant engineering, Quality and RAMS management, Circuit technology and components of rail telematics, Rail telematics architectures, Model-based system development in rail transportation
Infrastructure	Construction and safety design of railroad systems, Planning of railroad systems, railroad construction, Computer-aided design systems for planning, design and construction of railroads Building Information Modeling in transportation, Planning, construction and operation of mass transit railroads, Construction in railroad operations
Control and safety technology	Railroad safety and control technology, Interlocking technology and level crossing protection, Train control and track safety systems, Digital Rail Summer School
Railroad operations	Railroad operations management, Rail operations processes and operations planning, Market-oriented service provision in rail freight and passenger transport, Deployment of rail vehicles
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION	Operational planning and management in public transport, Operational management in urban and regional public transport, Traffic management in public transport
Vehicle technology	Running gear of rail vehicles, Brake technology and brake operation
Traffic planning	Traffic and infrastructure planning, Fundamentals of traffic modeling, traffic ecology

Is it possible to study part-time?

The degree program is also offered on a part-time basis. This means that it is possible to study the entire course or just a few semesters part-time at around 50%. This doubles the study time. It is possible to shorten or extend the course to a limited extent: as with any degree course, it is possible to study up to four semesters longer. The course consists largely of face-to-face classes, only a few modules can be completed fully or partially remotely. For this reason, part-time study is only suitable if you live in Dresden or the surrounding area during your studies or if your job allows you to be in Dresden on several days of the week. Lectures take place during the lecture periods (October to mid-February and April to mid-July) and, in the worst case, can be spread over all five days of the week (three or four are realistic). Some modules can also be swapped in their order.

Why study in Dresden?

The Friedrich List Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences is the largest center of higher education in the field of transport.
The course is demanding, but very practical.
There are no tuition fees to pay.
Dresden is an attractive city - also culturally.

How exactly does it work?

Information on enrolment and the study documents are available on the faculty's website for the Railway System Engineering degree program. Further information can be found in the TU Dresden's study information system.

Questions?

TU Dresden hotline for all application questions
+49 351 463 42000

Organizational questions regarding enrolment can be answered by the Admissions Office and (for foreign students) the International Office.

Further information on the degree program:
Faculty pages and study information system

Subject-related advice (i.e. not for organizational and admission-related matters) is provided by the Railway System Engineering course advisor
PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Ulrich Maschek